CVE-2024-12661 – This vulnerability in IObit Advanced SystemCare... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-12661?

CVE-2024-12661 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This vulnerability in IObit Advanced SystemCare Ultimate allows local attackers to trigger a null pointer dereference in the AscRegistryFilter.sys driver via a specific IOCTL handler. This can cause denial of service (system crash/BSOD) on affected systems. Only users of Advanced SystemCare Ultimate up to version 17.0.0 are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in IObit Advanced SystemCare Ultimate allows local attackers to trigger a null pointer dereference in the AscRegistryFilter.sys driver via a specific IOCTL handler. This can cause denial of service (system crash/BSOD) on affected systems. Only users of Advanced SystemCare Ultimate up to version 17.0.0 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

IObit Advanced SystemCare Ultimate

Versions: Up to and including 17.0.0

Operating Systems: Windows

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires local access to the system. The vulnerable driver AscRegistryFilter.sys is part of the software installation.

📦 What is this software?

Advanced Systemcare Ultimate by Iobit

View all CVEs affecting Advanced Systemcare Ultimate →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

System crash/Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) requiring reboot, potentially causing data loss or service disruption.

🟠

Likely Case

Local denial of service causing system instability or crash, requiring reboot to restore functionality.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact if proper access controls prevent local users from executing malicious code.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Attack requires local access, cannot be exploited remotely.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local attackers (including malicious insiders or compromised accounts) can cause system crashes.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

Exploit code has been publicly disclosed. Attack requires local execution privileges but not necessarily administrative rights.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Unknown

Vendor Advisory: None available - vendor did not respond to disclosure

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Check for updates in Advanced SystemCare Ultimate. 2. If no patch available, consider uninstalling the software. 3. Monitor IObit's official channels for security updates.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Remove vulnerable driver

windows

Delete or restrict access to the vulnerable AscRegistryFilter.sys driver file

del /f "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\AscRegistryFilter.sys"
sc delete AscRegistryFilter

Restrict driver loading

windows

Use Group Policy to prevent loading of unsigned or specific drivers

gpedit.msc -> Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options -> Devices: Restrict installation of drivers matching these device setup classes

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Uninstall Advanced SystemCare Ultimate completely
Implement strict local access controls and principle of least privilege

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if AscRegistryFilter.sys driver exists in system32\drivers and Advanced SystemCare Ultimate version is ≤17.0.0

Check Version:

Check program version in Control Panel > Programs and Features or run the software and check About section

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify AscRegistryFilter.sys driver is removed or Advanced SystemCare Ultimate is updated beyond 17.0.0

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

System crash logs (Event ID 41)
Driver loading failures
Unexpected system reboots

Network Indicators:

None - local exploit only

SIEM Query:

EventID=41 OR (DriverName="AscRegistryFilter.sys" AND (EventID=219 OR EventID=7026))

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-12661

CVSS v3 Score: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-404

Published: December 16, 2024

Last Updated: July 2, 2025

🔗 References

https://shareforall.notion.site/IOBit-Advanced-SystemCare-Utimate-AscRegistryFilter-0x8001E024-NPD-DOS-15260437bb1e80f28c03f548645c8ec9 Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://vuldb.com/?ctiid.288530 Permissions Required,Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://vuldb.com/?id.288530 Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://vuldb.com/?submit.456338 Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://shareforall.notion.site/IOBit-Advanced-SystemCare-Utimate-AscRegistryFilter-0x8001E024-NPD-DOS-15260437bb1e80f28c03f548645c8ec9 Exploit,Third Party Advisory

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